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HeyKids Studio
'HeyKids, '''formed in 1969, was the name of the studio and company who agreed to make ''Candle Cove, among other shows. However, the studio was short-lived, as a result of low funds and controversial shows. Their mascot who appears on the company logo is the second version of the Magic Crystal from their first show Butterfly Valley. It was started and owned by Ronald Smickon and Bobby Westmoreland. Shows * Butterfly Valley (1969-1973)- The studios first show. A pair of twins (Rose and Petunia) find themselves in a land called Butterfly Valley, where they must help the Butterfly fairies and defend themselves from King Boogieman, who wishes to kidnap and marry Princess Butterfly. The show was animated. * Fisherman Fred (1965-1970)- Although originally produced by a different studio known as Tellytunes, the rights to Fisherman Fred were eventually given to HeyKids studios in 1969 after Tellytunes sold their rights to them after declaring bankruptcy. About the adventures of a sailing fisherman, who must defend his catches from the dishonest Nathanial Nasty, who plans to steal the fish Fred catches and sell his stolen goods on the market. The show was a low-budget cartoon. The show suffered from recycled plots and poor writing. *Candle Cove (1971-1972)- A little girl (Janice) adventures with pirates. The show featured mostly marionettes, but a few live actors, such as the main character, Janice, and her neighbor Nathan. Animation was occasionally used. *Sunshine City (1971)- Children in a city learn about friendship and treating each other with kindness. One of the most notable characters is an orange skinned puppet named Ron. The show was shot live, and featured many different plush puppets. * Jumbo's Circus (1970-1972)- Circus performers and animals teach children numbers, colours, and shapes. The main character is a little boy named Christopher who wishes to become a lion tamer, and must work together with his pet lion, Congo, to impress Jumbo, the ring leader of the circus who also happens to be an elephant. The show's performers are played by actors and actresses, with the animals being played by people in costumes. Cancelled Shows *Peppermint Park (1973)- One of the studio's last shows. Nothing is known about the plot, nor its production. Although, it is confirmed that Jeremy Kirby, who voiced Horace Horrible on Candle Cove, ''did backstage work & the show is the same format as ''Jumbo's Circus ''(i.e. a live actor interacting with other actors in costumes). **It was eventually picked up by another studio, who turned it into a puppet show in 1987. *Thomson's Jungle (supposedly) - No information available. Reasons for Controversy *Butterfly Valley - There was a brief amount of controversy when Princess Butterfly married King Boogieman to avoid marrying an evil warlock named Frank, who planned on using her power to take over the world. Many parents saw King Boogieman's success in marrying the Princess as teaching children that evil can triumph, a very undesirable children's lesson. However, the show continued even after King Boogieman married Princess Butterfly. The shows creators made the event work in the show by using Frank as the show's new villain, and portraying King Boogieman as a reformed villain, who had changed into a kind(but still somewhat monstrous looking) king as a result of his change in heart, reducing the amount of controversy. However, season four took a surprisingly dark turn, causing season five to be cancelled after two episodes. *Candle Cove - This show is highly controversial, and is one of the main reasons the studios funds went down. The main villain, The Skin-Taker, was very frightening and dark, but was only part of what made the show so controversial. ''See Controversy *Sunshine City - Despite not being as dark as Candle Cove, Sunshine City was much shorter lived and more controversial than Candle Cove as the result of one episode. One of the main characters, Ron, was regularly bullied for having orange skin. In the controversial episode, he is shown jumping in front of a train, committing suicide. There were only two more episodes made after that one, as parents became concerned that their own children may consider suicide, and demanded that the show be ended and no more episodes be made ever again. In all, only eighteen episodes were made of the show. Eventually the script was released, showing that the clip was never supposed to be in the episode, or even made. *Jumbo's Circus - There was a very brief dispute with a couple of animal rights activists who attempted to sue the studio, but lost due to the judge ruling that the animals in the show were not treated with any cruelty, and that many shows had anthropomorphic animals, and that in Jumbo's Circus, the owner of the circus was an animal himself, and thus the show was not an example of humans using animals for their own purposes. The Judge was quoted saying, "If you're going to sue a show, watch the actual show first." Category:Show Category:Controversy